Outside mirror with blinker light for vehicles

ABSTRACT

A light assembly for a vehicle mirror is provided. The light assembly in one aspect has a light directing arrangement attached to a transparent pane, which directs a light beam into a specified zone, controls a color of the light beam and controls an intensity of the light. In another aspect, a pane is provided having similar attributes and a water drain and drip edge.

[0001] The present invention concerns a blinker light installed in an outside mirror, especially for use in commercial vehicles.

[0002] Motor vehicles possess blinker lights on their forward and rear corner points, or in locations closely approximating such points, which, by means of optical signals of a given color, frequency, brightness, and the like, in keeping with existing law, can indicate change of lane or serve to announce an emergency situation (warning lights) for the vehicle.

[0003] In the interests of an improvement in traffic safety, EP 1 172 257 A2 has disclosed additional blinker lights to be provided on outside mirrors of motor vehicles.

[0004] DE 198 08 139 proposes, in this respect, the use of fluorescent tubes. These blinker lights must, most importantly, be observable by following participants in traffic, so that, the intention of a change in direction can be detected promptly. At the same time, the blinker lights themselves must not dazzle or irritate the driver.

[0005] DE 199 59 609 A1, in this matter, describes the placement of at least one LED on a back side of an outside mirror housing, in such a manner that the LED light is emitted in exactly directed beams and thus, because of aimed alignment of the LED, the driver is not dazzled upon looking in the mirror.

[0006] However, it is difficult, by means of such an apparatus, to attain the legal intensity of illumination for commercial vehicles, which is clearly higher than that of the standards for personal passenger motor vehicles. In Germany, for example, such auxiliary blinking lights must comply with Category 6 ECE.

[0007] On this account, the previous solution for commercial vehicles was to be found therein, in that a sufficiently intense means of illumination be placed in the mirror housing in such a manner, that it was not in the direct line of sight of a driver, but rather be visible to an observer in a position behind the vehicle, and that the emitted light be deflected rearward by an appropriately shaped light conductor.

[0008] In this matter, first, an appropriate light conductor is necessary. Second, because of scattering losses and the like in the light conductor, the source of light must be of a greater intensity than the optionally desired intensity of emission, which leads to higher heating, a greater consumption of energy, and a more expensive means of light generation. Moreover, dazzling and irritation of the driver is possible from the light conductor due to emergence dispersion, etc.

[0009] Thus the purpose of the present invention is to make available a blinker light in an outside mirror, which possesses sufficient intensity and at the same time avoids dazzling either the driver or a possible passenger.

[0010] This purpose is achieved by a blinker light in accord with the features of claim 1.

[0011] A light directing means in accord with the invention permits the light to travel essentially in one specified angular zone away from its source, so that a dazzling of the driver is prevented. At the same time losses through light conductors or the like are avoided.

[0012] In a first embodiment of the present invention, a means of light direction consists of vertical, opaque strips, offset from one another on the inside and outside of a transparent pane. In this way, only those light beams from the light source, which exist in the direction of the specified angle areas, are radiated from the blinker light. Stray beams of light, which could, to a certain extent, dazzle the driver, are absorbed by the said offset strips, or may be advantageously reflected back one or more times in such a manner, that they finally coincide with the emission within the specified angle area.

[0013] In a second embodiment of the present invention, the means of light direction encompasses one or more transparent areas, the horizontal cross-section of which is so designed, that only light beams in a predetermined angular zone can pass through. Advantageously, the transparent areas have more or less the same angular zone as is specified.

[0014] In a third embodiment of the present invention, the means of light direction encompasses prismatically designed partial areas of a glass plate.

[0015] In this arrangement, advantageously, such a prismatic partial area has a vertical cross-section in the shape of a triangle, the first leg of which (preferably the hypotenuse) faces the source of light, the second leg thereof (preferably the longer leg) is set normal to the bisector of the angle of the specified angular zone, and the third leg of said triangle lies normal to a principal direction of dazzling, into which direction as few light beams as possible can be allowed to shine.

[0016] In an advantageous modification, this third side is made opaque. In this way, essentially only beams of light are radiated in the predetermined angular zone.

[0017] Further features, advantages and embodiments become evident from the subordinate Claims and the following described examples of design. There is shown in:

[0018]FIG. 1 a blinker light in accord with the invention following a first embodiment of the present invention, presented in a horizontal cross-section,

[0019]FIG. 2 a blinker light in accord with the invention following a second embodiment of the present invention, presented in horizontal cross-section,

[0020]FIG. 3 a blinker light in accord with the invention following a third embodiment of the present invention, presented in horizontal cross-section, and

[0021]FIG. 4 a blinker light in accord with the invention presented in a perspective view.

[0022]FIG. 1 shows an invented blinker light 1 in accord with a first embodiment of the present invention with a housing 2 and sources of light 3 placed therein. These sources of light 3 consist, in a preferred embodiment, of respectively a light source, of the nature of an LED, or a fluorescent tube, an incandescent bulb, or the like, with a reflector, which is so aligned, that the light radiated from the said source of light is essentially oriented in the direction of a specified angular zone 8.

[0023] The angular zone 8, in this embodiment, is so specified, that, first, the light, i.e., the blinker signal, is readily recognized from the outside, in particular by an observer behind the vehicle and second, the driver, and if present, a passenger, is neither dazzled nor irritated thereby.

[0024] At this point, it is well to note, the for the sake of simplicity, instead of bringing a passenger side mirror into explanation and description, the invention can be applied fully analogously in the case of a passenger side outside mirror.

[0025] The light radiated from the source of light 3 passes outward through the transparent pane 4 and the housing 2. As this occurs, only light of a defined range of wave length is enabled to penetrate the said pane, so that the light signal acquires a predetermined color, for example, orange.

[0026] The light directional means 5 encompasses opaque, parallel, vertical strips 5 a, 5 b, etc. situated both on the inner and outer sides of the glass pane 4. The said strips are offset from one another. Only light beams within the given angular zone 8 can penetrate through both the said inner and the outer strips 5 a, 5 b without hindrance. This is due to the fact that other directed beams of light are either absorbed or, in keeping with a preferred embodiment, are reflected back in the direction of the sources of light 3. Such doubly reflected light beams, by means of being directed back to the sources of light, can be reflected again to other strips 5 a, 5 b and/or from the inside of the housing 2 and emanate therefrom in the direction of the predetermined angular zone. In this way, the yield of light is advantageously increased.

[0027] The opaque strips can, to advantage, be imprinted on the glass pane.

[0028]FIG. 2 shows an invented blinker light 1 in accord with a second embodiment of the present invention. In this case, elements, which correspond to those of the first embodiment, are provided with the same reference numbers.

[0029] In this mode of construction, the means of light direction 6 encompasses a non-transparent area, which itself exhibits several transparent openings 6 a. The horizontal cross-section of these transparencies are so designed, that only light beams within a specified angular zone 8 can penetrate therethrough. In a preferred embodiment of this arrangement, the inner sides of the vertical extremities of the transparent light openings are essentially parallel to the edges of the specified angular zone.

[0030] In this case, the specified angular zone 8, advantageously, has an angle zone of 5° to 60° measured in a mathematically positive manner. This measurement would start in reference to the direction of travel, as this is shown in FIG. 2.

[0031] In a preferred embodiment example shown here, the principal direction of the light source 3 corresponds to the angle bisector of this angular zone, from which an especially advantageous usage of the said light source is gained.

[0032] From the basics of design, in the embodiment shown here, the light direction means 6 is placed separately and in front of the pane 4. Equally well, the light direction means 6 can be integrated into the said pane 4, somewhat by the coloration of appropriate areas or by the use of a multipiece pane, which is composed of corresponding opaque and transparent parts.

[0033]FIG. 3 shows an invented blinker light 1 in accord with a third embodiment of the present invention. In this case again, elements, which correspond to those of the first and the second embodiments are provided with the same reference numbers.

[0034] In this embodiment, the light directional means 7 is constructed of a plurality of prismatic units 7 a, which are designed to be in the pane 4. A first side of each prismatic unit 7 a in this case, faces the light source 3. A second side, is placed normal to the desired direction of beam radiation, which is also the bisector of the given angular zone 8. The third side is placed normal to the second side. Light beams, which essentially are already in the desired radiation direction, penetrate through the first side of the prismatic are 7 a, continue unhindered through the second side and so comply with the requirements of desired light signal within the specified angular zone. On the other hand, light beams, which emanate upon start in an undesirable direction, that is, a direction which would dazzle the driver, enter through the first side of the prismatic unit 7 a and proceed to the third side, which is preferably opaque. The said undesirably directed beams cannot penetrate this third side wall, or, can do so only with great difficulty. In this way, such undesirable beams are prevented from emergence and a dazzling of the driver is avoided. Advantageously, the light entering by the penetration through the prismatic unit is diverted to a beam within the specified angular zone.

[0035] Because of the fact, that the pane 4 does not function as a light conductor, as it does in the case of conventional mirror-blinker lights, which divert the light into the desired radiation direction, the pane 4 can be optionally formed. Especially, it can have something like a vertical water runoff 9 and/or a horizontal drop edge 10, as this is shown in FIG. 4.

SUMMARY

[0036] A blinker light 1 for motor vehicles is placed in a housing of an outside mirror (2) for the motor vehicle and encompasses a source of illumination (3), this being possibly a LED, a fluorescent tube, or an incandescent bulb, and also possesses a transparent pane (4) for a defined coloring of the light signal and a light directional means (6) which guides light beams in only one specified angular zone (8). 

Claimed is:
 1. A blinker light for motor vehicles, especially for commercial vehicles, which is placed in a housing (2) of an outside mirror of a motor vehicle and which encompasses at least one source of illumination (3) which can radiate light and one transparent pane (4), which transmits light of one defined wave length, there in characterized, in that the blinker light (1), in addition to the above, possesses a light directional means (5; 6; 7).
 2. A blinker light for motor vehicles in accord with claim 1, therein characterized in that the light directive means (5) consists of a plurality of parallel, vertical, opaque strips (5 a, 5 b) on the inner and outer sides of the transparent pane (4), which are so offset to one another, that the light beams of the source of illumination can emerge only in a specified angular zone (8).
 3. A blinker light for motor vehicles in accord with claim 1, therein characterized in that the light directive means (6) has an opaque area, which, of itself, has a light transmitting area (6 a), the horizontal cross-section of which is so designed, that the light beams of the illumination source can emerge in only one specified angular zone (8).
 4. A blinker light for motor vehicles in accord with claim 1, therein characterized in that the light directive means (7) exhibits in a horizontal cross-section prismatically shaped partial areas (7 a) which include the transparent pane (4), and which are so designed, that the light beams from the illumination source can only emerge in one specified angular zone (8).
 5. A blinker light for motor vehicles in accord with claim 1, therein characterized in that the light directive means is so designed in a holographic manner, that the light beams from the source of illumination can emerge only in one specified angular zone
 8. 6. A blinker light for motor vehicles in accord with at least one of the claims 2 to 5, therein characterized, in that the specified angular zone (8) in its horizontal extent, includes a angular zone from 5° to 60°, measured in the mathematical positive manner from the direction of travel as reference.
 7. A blinker light for motor vehicles in accord with at least one of the foregoing Claims, therein characterized in that at least one means of illumination is so aligned, that its principal direction of radiation represents essentially the bisector of the specified angular zone.
 8. A blinker light for motor vehicles in accord with at least one of the foregoing Claims, therein characterized in that the source of illumination is a LED, a fluorescent tube, and/or an incandescent bulb.
 9. A blinker light for motor vehicles in accord with at least one of the foregoing Claims, therein characterized in that the pane at least partially peripherally grips the outer edge of the housing and encompasses a vertical water drain (9) and a horizontal drip edge (10). 